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Austria is set to lift its veto on Romania's and Bulgaria's full accession to Europe's free-passport Schengen area during a meeting of interior ministers from Austria, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary in Budapest on Nov. 22, the Financial Times reported on Nov. 19, citing sources close to negotiations.

Romania, Bulgaria: Austria To Lift Veto on Romania's and Bulgaria's Full Schengen Membership

Former Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's GERB party came out on top in the country's snap parliamentary elections, the seventh in four years, though once again falling short of a clear path toward forming a majority in parliament, Reuters reported on Oct. 27.

Bulgaria: GERB Party Wins Snap Vote, But Years-Long Political Crisis Likely To Persist

Europe

Bulgaria and Romania joined Europe's passport-free Schengen area for air and sea travel, 13 years after their application, according to a March 31 press release by the European Commission.

Romania, Bulgaria: Countries Join Europe's Passport-Free Schengen Area for Air and Sea Travel

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Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The European Commission recommended reducing the European Union's net greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040 compared with 1990 levels, Reuters reported Feb. 6. 

EU: Brussels to Exclude Agriculture from 90% Emissions Reduction Target for 2040

Bulgaria and Romania have reached an agreement with Austria to join Europe's passport-free Schengen area for air and sea travel starting March 2024, Reuters reported Dec. 28, citing Romania's interior ministry. 

Romania, Bulgaria: Romania and Bulgaria to Join Europe's Schengen Area For Air and Sea Travel in March 2024

Negotiators from EU member states and the European Parliament reached a preliminary agreement to overhaul the bloc's asylum and migration rules, Reuters reported on Dec. 20.

EU: Bloc's Institutions Reach Agreements on New Asylum and Migration Rules

The outgoing Dutch government agreed to drop its veto against Bulgaria joining Europe's passport-free Schengen zone, Reuters reported on Dec. 15, citing a letter to parliament from State Secretary for Justice and Security Eric van der Burg.

Netherlands, Bulgaria: Outgoing Dutch Government Lifts Veto on Bulgaria's Schengen Membership

Georgia

The European Council voted to grant EU candidate status to Georgia, and both government officials and opposition politicians in Georgia praised the decision, Civil Georgia reported on Dec. 14. 

Georgia: European Commission Recommends Georgia for EU Candidate Status

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Members of the European Parliament take part in voting on the Artificial Intelligence Act during a plenary session at the European Parliament.

Cyber

The EU's recently negotiated Artificial Intelligence Act will bolster the European Union's dominance as a regulatory heavyweight in emerging technologies, yet anticipated enforcement challenges and stringent stipulations with the Act risk impeding AI innovation within the bloc.

EU Lawmakers Clinch Agreement on Artificial Intelligence Act 

An EU sign is seen at a Romanian border crossing.

Bulgaria and Romania have set out to join the EU's passport-free zone by the year's end, but Austrian and Dutch skepticism will likely keep delaying their membership and the associated economic benefits.

The Challenges Facing Bulgaria and Romania's Schengen Bids

Assessments

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Russia

Saudi Arabia

Turkey

A natural gas-powered stove Nov. 03, 2021, in Berlin. France will host a meeting of EU energy ministers on May 2 to discuss how to deal with Russia's decision to halt natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Energy

The Ukraine Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: European Governments Discuss the Energy Crisis, Malaysia Increases Its Minimum Wage

The logo of Russia's energy giant Gazprom is seen at a gas station in Sofia, Bulgaria, on April 27, 2022. 

Security

Military & Security

European Disintegration

By cutting off exports to Bulgaria and Poland, Moscow is hoping to drive a wedge between EU countries over their willingness to sanction Russian oil and pay for gas using rubles.

In Bulgaria and Poland, Russia Shows Its Willingness to Weaponize Europe's Gas Supplies

A satellite image shows Europe at night.

EU: Regional Blocs

The New Silk Road

Divided EU Foreign Policies

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

The move shows the White House remains committed to its security and economic engagements in the region, with an eye on countering China and Russia. 

The U.S. Ramps Up Financial Support to Central and Eastern Europe

Uganda

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Relatives of the five Israeli victims of a suicide blast that targeted a bus of tourists in Bulgaria mourn in Sofia on Aug. 28, 2012.

U.S.-Iran Relations

Iran's Arc of Influence

Recent history indicates that despite its global networks and ambitions, Iran is a far more formidable threat closer to home. 

Iran Will Find Retaliating Against the U.S. Easier in the Middle East

Stratfor Threat Lens

The increasing unwillingness of eastern members to heed the EU's demands threatens to deepen the divide between the bloc's west and east.

Quarrels between the European Union's new member states and their more established neighbors are disrupting the search for harmony on the Continent.

In the EU, East and West Are Falling Out of Tune

Global Perspectives

Turkmenistan

Ukraine

Azerbaijan

Kazakhstan

Partner Perspectives

The littoral states of the Black and Caspian seas are looking for ways to address the region's energy security problems. 

As China has revived the old Silk road, the countries surrounding the Caspian and Black seas have become crossroads for commerce and economic development. But these states are also struggling to address challenges with energy security, and the solution for all may lie in regional collaboration.

The Black Sea-Caspian Region in Post-Conflict Energy Security Cooperation Scenarios

North Macedonia

Albania

Montenegro

EU and NATO officials have visited Macedonia and expressed support for its membership in both institutions.

Echoes of the Cold War

The fragile Balkan country has been mending fences with Greece, Albania and Bulgaria as it tries to join the European Union and NATO.

Why Macedonia Is Becoming a Friendlier Neighbor

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia

Supply Chains

China in Transition

Despite its goal to foster integration throughout Eurasia, Beijing has so far emphasized bilateral or subregional agreements with its Belt and Road projects in Europe, an approach that has raised the suspicions of the bloc's central powers.

For China, All Roads (and Belts) Lead to Europe

China's Belt and Road Initiative

Moldova

Snapshot Display: Europe

Results in both elections show voter dissatisfaction with the status quo.

Bulgaria, Moldova: Pro-Russia Candidates Win Presidencies

Columns

On Geopolitics

EU Collapse Brexit London Brussels

Like all political creations, the European Union is a fleeting construction in the vast expanse of history. One day it will disappear, to be replaced by other entities, or it will continue in name only, looking and operating far differently than the European Union of today. It is impossible to know exactly when this transformation will happen or just how long the process will take.

Who Will Exit the EU Next?

Bulgaria, bordering Greece, Turkey, Macedonia, Serbia and Romania, sits on the southeastern end of the Balkan Peninsula. Its northern border generally follows the Danube River as it makes its final descent to the Black Sea, and the Rhodope Mountains shape its southern border. The Balkan Mountains dominate Bulgaria's interior, dividing the country in two as they traverse from west to east. The highly fertile Danubian Plain lies north of the Balkans, while the Thracian Plain lies to its south.    In ancient times, the Thracians, Greeks, Persians and Romans settled in what is now Bulgaria. The First Bulgarian Empire emerged in 681 AD, to be followed by the Second Bulgarian Empire in the 12th century. After the fall of this second empire in the late 14th century, Bulgaria came under Ottoman dominance for the next five centuries. Bulgaria regained independence in the 1870s with help from Russia, creating created close ties between the two nations. However, conflict marked the decades that followed independence, including two Balkan wars and World Wars I and II. After the Second World War, Bulgaria became a communist state within the Soviet orbit.    With the end of the Cold War, Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in 2007, moves accompanied by economic and institutional modernization and the arrival of foreign direct investment. But significant waves of emigration from the country also followed; Bulgaria’s population, which was about 9 million in 1986, had dropped to 7 million by 2016. While the Bulgarian economy has grown significantly since its communist days, it remains the poorest member of the European Union in terms of gross domestic product per capita.     Bulgaria has strong trade ties with both the European Union and Turkey, and Russian natural gas accounts for a significant part of its domestic supply. Bulgaria’s main challenge is to balance the bigger powers around it in a region where external threats have been frequent.

SITUATION REPORTS

Romania, Bulgaria: Austria To Lift Veto on Romania's and Bulgaria's Full Schengen Membership

Bulgaria: GERB Party Wins Snap Vote, But Years-Long Political Crisis Likely To Persist

Romania, Bulgaria: Countries Join Europe's Passport-Free Schengen Area for Air and Sea Travel

EU: Brussels to Exclude Agriculture from 90% Emissions Reduction Target for 2040

Romania, Bulgaria: Romania and Bulgaria to Join Europe's Schengen Area For Air and Sea Travel in March 2024

EU: Bloc's Institutions Reach Agreements on New Asylum and Migration Rules

Netherlands, Bulgaria: Outgoing Dutch Government Lifts Veto on Bulgaria's Schengen Membership

Georgia: European Commission Recommends Georgia for EU Candidate Status

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